The Portland daily press., 1887-11-30
HERR MOST CONVICTED.
The Anarchist, After TestifyIng as to
His Peculiar Ideas,
Finds the Jury Has Some Ideas Re-
garding His Proper Treatment.
Judge cowIng's Charge Occasions
Surprise at the Result.

NEW YORK, Nov. 29.-Herr Most testified
in his own behalf at his trial in New York
today. He denied making any threats or
asking any person to do violence. Witness
said Schultz was chairman Of the meeting
and not Schenck. The prisoner said he had
been convicted of treason in Austria in 1863
and had been imprisoned one year in 1870.
He was again convicted in that country OF
the same crime for five years, but gained his
liberty in 1871 through an amnesty granted
to political prisoners. In 1872 he was SEN
fenced to one years Imprisonment in Berlin
for calling the Emperor OF Germany
slaughterer In 1874 he was sentenced Tor
one year and six months for speech made
in Berlin on the memorial day OF the Paris
commune. In 1877 he was sentenced In ber-
lin to two months imprisonment for blasphe-
my.. In 1881 he was again sentenced in Eng
land for applauding in the Freiheit, the as
sassinatien of the Gar When he got out OF
prison he came TO this country and has since
remained here.
Most repeated .his speech as he said he
recolected it. He said: II began: Fellow
citizens, you have heard how our meeting In
Florence Hall to mourn our Chicago broth
ers has been stopped by the police. 1t looks
to me as if the mayor and police cannot ar
que with us but, nevertheless, IL we cannot
meet in public we will meet privately, and
they will learn that we can educate in pri-
yate. -Four Of our comrades In Chicago have
been murdered, and one has committed sui
eide because they have spoken for the work
ingmen and written in their behalf. They
say that one of them threw bomb, but ev--
erybody knows that they did not prove 1t and
cannot prove it, They were tried for hatred
and condemned by the hatred Of the capital
lists. They were not guilty
'Then / think there was cry OF 'racheP
(revenge y and said, Not now. 1t Is no
time to talk so. All these men, Grinnell,
Gary, Oglesby-all are murderers, but we
must beware. All workingmen who did
not protest against this judicial murder will
regret it. 1t was the greatest murder OF the
age, and they who did not protest will hear
the cry out of the graves, Murder! murder!
Henry George and Powderly uight have
was Louts Lingg. He committed suicide.
They strangled the others, but Louis Lingg
they tried to make him out insane-he
could stand it. and he died. Poor Louis
Lingg / know he spent all his money for
pamphlets to distribute to the workingmen.
Well, they are dead They think anarchy is
dead, but anarchy is not dead 1t still lives
and will live. forever. Think they can
strange anarchy, by killing few men? mol
Live, anarchy"
Most was asked whether he had said a
gaspipe with screw caps will produce bril-
liant results whether he had advised that
fruit jar be filed with benzine, with a
medicine glass filed with powder and tightly
closed, having fuselso.that on bursting the
fiery benzine would 6e scattered; and wheth-
er he had advised the use of deadly poison
on arrow heads. The witness was greatly
excited when these questions were asked,
and declined to answer each: He said yehe-
mently: What have they to do with my
speech at Kraemer's Hall?' The judge, in
each case, allowed the question. Most's def
milton of anarchy was extended. He de
scribed himself as C0mmunlstic Anarchist
and said it took him ten years to understand
anarchy. The Anarchists desired the over
throw Of the present form Of government.
He thought the present powers of the State
would be destroyed when the people grew
stronger. A State Of anarchy would be one
without commerce, In which there should pc
communities Of men, among whom wealth
would be equally distributed. There would
be scientific schools and both sexes would be
educated in the same way. He believed In
force and in revolution. "Our principle, ne
said sis speaceably if we can, forcibly IL we
must" Most Thought that in the coming
revolution, explosives would be used on both
sides. Dynamite bombs are more effective
than cannon.
A long dispute arose when Most was asked
If he believedin God who punished per-
jury. Mr.. Howe said that the question
could not be constitutionally asked. The
court said il the witness did not believe in
such God, it would be for the jury to say II
his eredibility was affected thereby. In the
course of the argument. Judge Cewing said
that the tendency is to abolish the oath put
to witnesses. He believed II a man was put
on the stand without the oath, he would tell
the truth as quickly as with one. He be-
lieved the Bible had no effect on witness.
Most finally said he did not believe in a
Supreme Being who Furnishes perjurers. He
believed, however, that they would be pun
ished here for perjury. AS to the first cause.
he could only say with Socrates, I'VE know
that we know nothing"
The prosecution offered in evidence the
previous indictment of Most and the record
of his trial and conviction, to show that his
book on 'sThe Art of Revolutionary War
fare was not introduced in evidence at that
time. MIR. Howe objected, saying 1t had
been introduced and excluded Most said
that Recorder Smyth bitterly referred to 1t,
and had really sentenced him on 1t. Both
sides here announced they had no more evil
dence to offer. Judge Cowing said he would
limit each side to an hour In summing up.
Lawer Howe began by saying that Most
was not on trial for what he had witten, or
what he had said before the meeting In krae-
mer's Hall. This was not the trial of John
and free speech shall exist in this country
The testimony for the prosecution as to
Most's speech was, 1t Is claimed, utterly un-
trustworthy, and had been contradicted by
the witnesses for the defence, whose testi-
mony was mistaken.
Assistant District Attorney Nicoll, in sum-
ming up for the prosecution, said that liber-
ty could be preserved in this country by en-
forcing the laws. and Furnishing its abuse.
Most had a right to say the. jury IN the
Anarchist trial were bought, that the judge
was bought or that the present judge and
jury were bought, and were the hirelings OF
capital, but when he threatened an indlvld-
ual or a class he Is liable under the statute.
The only question was whether Most did so
threaten. He argued that the weight OF tes-
timonv shovVad he did.
Judge CJwing, in charging, told the jury
that Most was not to be tried for his past
life, nor for his belief, but for his speech at
Kraemer's Hall. "Our love OF free speech
speech and freedom Of the press" he con-
tfnued, made us do away with many re-
strictions. We are jealous Of our liberty,
but free speech does not mean tnat an lndi-
vidual has the right to SANDER his nelghbor
or incite riot, We do not tolerate license
but encourage freedom. We throw open
our gates to all to come in and enjoy citl-
zenship, which we esteem a greater priyi-
lege than to be king. But we marvel In
this country, where everyone Is so Tree,
there should be such men as Anarchists
and ask what more do they want. Revolu-
tions have come from injustice but never
from Justice" After going over the testi-
mony carefully, he said he failed to ind any
thing in the speech Of Most. as he gave y at
the trial, that came within the statute. Inc
Jury went out at $50.
The Jury came into court at 10 o'clock and
rendered a verdict Of guilty. On the first
ballot the jury stood seven for acquittal and
five for conviction. The balloting continued.
and another Juror was won over to convic-
tion. They stood six to six for some time.
Finally the six for acquittal yielded and
agreed on conviction. The verdict created
general surprise, as the prevailing impress
sion had been that the evidence was insuffc-
lent. The judges charge was also consid-
cred In Most's favor. In moving for inew
trial, Howe said he believed that the evil
dencs in regard to Most's having written
books on dynamite methods had caused the
adverse verdict. He thought this evidence
improperly admitted. Howe privately inti-
mates that he may move to set aside the YER
dict on the ground that one Of the. jurors
spied on Most outside the court, and, asked
| a witness question, showing that he was
| playing the part of detective as well as
| Juror The argument on the motion for
new trial will be heard Monday. Sentence
| was deferred.